03/06/2024
A great post. People often say in the beginning “They listen so well to you, but not me.” The reality is, your dog doesn’t listen to me because I’m a dog trainer. They listen because I have clear expectations and reward for them, an unchanging tone and attitude toward them (they aren’t wondering what is next from me), patience, FAIR structure, and our favorite word in training- CONSISTENCY!
That’s why you’re getting training. Training is so much more for the person/people than the dog. Dogs are creature of habit. The habits you create for them and consistently adhere to for them are what they will do. Inconsistent habits and wavering or no expectations leaves the dog to create their own habits. Be consistent, be patient, be positive, and most importantly be honest with yourself. I’m here to teach you the skills. You’re here to communicate and implement them with your dog everyday to make a happy dog and a happy owner. You can do it and so can your dog. 🐾
Over and over we work with dogs who the owners have been struggling with greatly. The behaviors run the gamut from separation anxiety to reactivity, from resource guarding to human or dog aggression and a host of others… but all are usually quite severe.
So why are we so often able to totally resolve or greatly improve the issues? Lots of experience (skills), a healthy mindset towards what’s best for the dog (emotions), and a keen awareness of how each member of the team shows up and how the dog perceives them (personality/compatibility).
Having a firm, and realistic grasp on all of these enables us to be successful over and over again.
But all of the above take considerable time, effort, and honesty. And the simple fact (no judgment) is that many owners either aren’t prepared for all of that’s required to transform themselves and their dogs, or they are and their personality/temperament sadly aren’t a good fit for the dog they’re so desperate to help.
But for most dogs and most owners, the obstacles standing in the way of achieving their goals are absolutely surmountable.
So the questions to ask, if we’re looking to truly find answers, are: What skills are we missing that our trainer has—and are we prepared to do the work to acquire them? What is our true emotional state in relation to what our dogs represent/gaps they fill—and are we honestly prepared to confront and transform them as necessary? What is the personality/temperament “fit” between ourselves and our dogs—and is it something that CAN be surmounted?
Owners who are willing to ask themselves these questions, and honestly answer, are the owners with the more challenging dogs who will either find their answers to overcome the issues, or will find the answers to make peace with unresolvable obstacles that require unhappy solutions but provide clarity and peace in their understanding.
PS, feel free to share your own findings, either current or in the past, that you’ve discovered and which have been critical to your success in the comments below. ❤️
For seminar or shadow program dates/tickets, training courses and books, or hands-on training (Louisiana and PNW areas) please visit: www.thegooddogway.com
